Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/09/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Feliciano di Giorgio <feli@d2.com> wrote: > Now, does anyone have any opinions on the 35mm Summilux > f1.4 or how it stacks up against the Summicron? Oddly enough > I am having a difficult time finding a used non-Asph 35mm > Summilux for sale. Strange for a lens that's been in production > for 30 years... I bought a late '60s vintage 35 Summilux about a year ago from a fellow LUGger. I love it! It's a curious lens...soft wide open in a diffused-like way that I find very pleasing. Not quite as glow-y as the Summar I used to own but it does the job when I want that look. Fine detail isn't rendered at all. Field curvature is much in evidence with near objects focused on and located at or near the frame edges. (Such objects will be slightly out-of-focus on film even though the rangefinder indicates focus is dead on.) At f/2 and smaller the 'Lux transforms itself into a 35 Summicron. Top notch sharpness and contrast. Even though the lens was in production for decades Leitz never made that many of 'em...this probably explains its relative scarcity in the used market. - -Dave-